Snapshots After The End
by Coldpockets
Summary: Takes place after the end of the anime. About Daisuke and Riku, and how growing up changes things. Short and sweet, with no outright spoilers, but you might want to be careful anyway.


So I wrote this real quick for JT Elroy, because he likes this pairing. I'm not a particular fan, but I think it's at least passable for other eyes to see. From the music meme thing, but I got bored and only did five songs instead of ten. Enjoy.

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_She's the Blade: Sugarcult_

Daisuke isn't used to relying on people. He still has to swallow down a hard ball of shame when he remembers the times he was forced to call on Dark to finish a task he couldn't complete alone. He's happy with Riku now, coming to terms with the loss of Dark, but the connection between them is awkward. It strikes him in the middle of the night how much power he's given her over him—she could break him or make all his dreams come true. He at her mercy almost totally, young love making him vulnerable. But then she'll laugh, or smile just for him, and he remembers why he fell in love with her in the first place. And then he looks into her eyes and sees something that makes him realize: she's just as vulnerable as he is, because she loves him too.

_Closing Time: Semisonic_

They go to high school together, they're the perfect couple, but after graduation they say goodbye. Riku has dreams of doing something worthwhile, of helping people, and Daisuke wants to be a painter. They wind up at different colleges, exchanging emails and letters every week, but Daisuke can feel them growing apart. The bottom line is that they fell in love with each other when they were still almost-children, and now they're older. Daisuke dates a couple of girls with big eyes and cute smiles, but none of them are serious. He tries not to compare them to Riku, to the memory of her hand in his and her lips against his, but he fails. By his last year in college, they've all but stopped communicating, but Daisuke spends more time than ever thinking about Riku. Finally, one night when he can't stand it anymore, he writes an email and presses send with quavering fingers.

_When We Die: Bowling For Soup_

The small sushi restaurant is one Daisuke comes to often, with not only good food but also good sake, both of which he thinks he might need to get through the night. Riku shows up ten minutes late, puffing as she unwinds her scarf, and for a moment he sees her fourteen-year-old self standing in the doorway. The moment passes and he stands and waves her over. They order food, trying to make small talk. It's unquestionably a disaster: they've both changed too much to fit the way they used to, like puzzle pieces trying to slot together when they're all the wrong shape. Eventually Riku sighs and looks at him.

"Look, why don't we just start over? I'm Riku and I like running and reading mysteries where everyone dies," she says abruptly. Daisuke smiles.

"I'm Daisuke and I like to paint and read about art history," he replies. And suddenly everything is easier, and he can see himself spending the rest of his life with this girl who's both familiar and new at the same time.

_Meet Virginia: Train_

Riku moves in with Daisuke one weekend after graduation. Her hair is long enough to be pulled back into a messy ponytail made even messier by her restless fingers running through it. She has too many boxes and most of them stay packed, but they have enough room for the essentials. The living arrangements take some getting used to, though. The bed is too small, but Daisuke likes the way it makes Riku curl up against him. The bathroom is miniscule and the faucet leaks, but Daisuke even loves the arguments they have over who gets to shower when. A couple of years pass in a haze, marked by bills and rent being due and occasional anniversaries they both forget more often than not. Riku's habits are odd: getting up for walks in the middle of the night when she can't sleep and running on coffee and tea and always moving; Daisuke loves her more than he would have thought possible the first time they kissed.

_This Ride: The Starting Line_

It takes Daisuke two months to gather up the courage to propose, and then it's all botched up by Riku cutting him off and proposing to him instead. She tells him he looks like he's going to pass out, and he says yes, and they set the date six months in the future. Daisuke's mother screams so loud over the phone he thinks he might as well bid farewell to that eardrum, and she immediately takes over all preparations. Riku's parents offer to pay for everything and turn up, which is about what Riku seems to have expected so Daisuke doesn't comment. Even Satoshi shows up, though he spends most of the day trying to avoid the predatory gaze of Risa. The wedding is everything Daisuke would have ever hoped for, and it's made perfect when he hears just a whisper from Dark as he gets in the car afterward: "you did well, kid."


End file.
